Dramatic Terms and Devices

Several lines spoken by one character alone on stage.

• dramatic irony

• tragic flaw

• soliloquy

• aside

A main character in a tragedy that experiences a rise in fortune followed by a sudden downfall that usually results in death.

• Pun

• Tragic Flaw

• monologue

• tragic hero

A lack or excess of a character trait that brings about a sad ending or protagonist's downfall.

• dramatic irony

• tragic flaw

• aside

• pathos

When the audience knows something a character on stage does not know.

• tragic flaw

• soliloquy

• tragedy

• dramatic irony

When a character briefly speaks lines to the audience as if other there are no other character's on stage.

• soliloquy

• aside

• dramatic irony

• pun

What is a pun?

• words that are sound the same but spelled different

• when a character speaks their thoughts alone on stage.

• play on words: a joke

• a comparison using like or as

What is a simile?

• a comparison using the words "like" or "as"

• a comparison that does not use the words "like" or "as"

• An adverbial phrase that compares one thing to another

• a type of poem in which two things are compared

What is a metaphor?

• A comparison that uses the words "like" or "as"

• A comparison that does not use the words "like" or "as"

• An adverbial phrase that compares one thing to another

• A type of poem in which two things are compared

A feeling of sympathy or sadness evoked by a play.

• pathos

• simile

• tragic hero

• tragic flaw

Which character in Romeo & Juliet could be identified as the tragic hero?

• Friar Lawrence

• Romeo

• Juliet

• Mercutio